Steve Coburn, the co-owner of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome, went from a hero signing autographs at Belmont Park on Saturday to a goat, all in a matter of minutes after his horse finished fourth in the Belmont Stakes because of a few ill-chosen words spoken in disappointment.

Coburn, who lives near Topaz Lake, regained a lot of that original luster on Monday, however, when he told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he was "ashamed" of his actions after the race, which was won by the well-rested Tonalist.

"I need to apologize to the world and America, our fans that have written us, given us so much support," Coburn said. "I apologize, I sincerely apologize."

Coburn apologized to his wife, to co-owner Perry Martin, California Chrome's trainer Art Sherman and Tonalist's team in the interview.

The short-lived controversy and welcome apology cannot tarnish California Chrome's remarkable run, however. He took racing fans all over the country on a heck of a ride and made a lot of new fans in the process.

It would be hard to tell from the excitement generated by California Chrome's blue-collar bid for the Triple Crown that horse racing is a troubled sport.

The famed Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., closed at the end of its 2013 season. So did nearby Fairplex Park in Pomona. Bay Meadows near San Francisco closed in 2008; Hialeah, near Miami, Fla., saw its last race in 2001. Many remaining tracks are being propped up only by slot machines and table games.

Yet, more than 100,000 fans were at Belmont Park on Saturday to see California Chrome attempt to be the first winner of the Triple Crown since 1978. Wagering at the track alone totaled a record $19.1 million.

By post time on Saturday, the Belmont Stakes had gone well beyond another horse race, even a Triple Crown race. It had become the stuff of which legends are made, thanks to the compelling story of the novice owners from the West, the jockey Victor Espinoza and the journeyman trainer. It was everything that the racing industry and NBC, which televised the race, could hope for.

So Coburn had good reason to be angry on Saturday. His horse had done all the work, while a handful of other horses swept in to grab a bit of the glory.

Although there are plenty of racing enthusiasts who might disagree, it seems that Coburn had a point: If the Belmont Stakes is just another well-hyped race, then it's fine that some owners decided to run their horses in just the one race. If, however, it's part of a more important, more difficult three-race series known as the Triple Crown, it should be a matter of in for one, in for them all. Those 100,000 people at the track and the millions at home, in racebooks and sports bars, were there to see a horse compete for the Triple Crown, after all, not a beat-down by a horse that skipped the first two races.

That, however, is an argument for another day.

This is the time to celebrate the Cinderella story of California Chrome and everyone involved in his magnificent run for the Triple Crown. For five weeks, at least, the Sport of Kings was the sport of all of us again.